BOC secures long-term supply deal with SSI Steel UK

Guildford, UK, 9 May 2013 – BOC today announced it has signed a long-term agreement to supply industrial gases to one of the biggest steelmakers in the UK, SSI Steel UK.

The 15-year agreement is one of the largest gases contracts ever awarded in the UK and follows SSI's purchase of the Teesside steelworks from Tata Steel in 2010.

BOC, a member of The Linde Group, is the biggest industrial gases company in the UK. The project, which will involve an investment of £25 million at BOC’s site on Teesside, will be executed by the regional operations team and will draw upon the expertise of colleagues in Linde Engineering for specialist engineering.

Works, scheduled to take two years, will include the upgrading and expansion of three existing ASUs (Air Separation Units) which supply oxygen, nitrogen and argon, re-engineering of the existing pipeline systems to SSI UK's site and the design and build of specialist control equipment for SSI UK's blast furnace.

The new contract means SSI UK will be able to increase its overall steel output as part of expansion plans to supply steel slab to its parent company in Thailand.

Phil Dryden, CEO of SSI Steel UK said: "I am very pleased that we have reached agreement with BOC on this contract. BOC is a strategic partner and having worked with them since we announced our plans we are delighted that this investment has been agreed. It will help us take SSI UK forward and meet our strategic plans for the future."

Mike Huggon, Managing Director BOC added: "BOC has been established in Teesside for many years and is committed to supporting the area’s vital industrial base. This news is important not only for jobs and prosperity in Teesside but also for the UK's wider industrial sector. I am delighted SSI UK have chosen BOC as their supplier and am confident that the investment we are making will bring long-term benefits to both companies."

BOC

BOC is a member of The Linde Group. An industrial, medical and special gases provider, the company supplies compressed and bulk gases, chemicals and equipment and is pioneering clean energy technologies including carbon capture and storage. For more than a century the company's gases and expertise have contributed to advances in many areas of everyday life, and industries including steelmaking, refining, chemical processing, environmental protection, wastewater treatment, welding and cutting, food processing and distribution, glass production, electronics and health care.

The Linde Group is a world-leading gases and engineering company with around 62,000 employees in more than 100 countries worldwide. In the 2012 financial year, Linde generated revenue of EUR 15.280 bn. The strategy of the Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

Sahaviriya Steel Industries UK Ltd (SSI UK), located at Redcar in the North East England is a 100% owned UK based subsidiary of Sahaviriya Steel Industries Public Company Limited (SSI). SSI UK comprises iron and steelmaking facilities with a capacity of 3.6million tonnes of slab production per annum. SSI is the largest steel sheet producer in South East Asia with an annual hot rolling capacity of 4 million tonnes, and is publicly owned and listed in the Stock Exchange of Thailand.